Insights on common dolphin (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Delphinus delphis</Emphasis>) social organization from genetic analysis of a mass-stranded pod

Compared to terrestrial mammals, little is known of cetacean social systems as they are generally less accessible to behavioral investigations due to their aquatic environment. The present study investigates group structure of the pelagic common dolphin, Delphinus delphis, using genetic markers. Tissue samples from 52 individuals representing a recent live mass-stranding event were compared to 42 single strandings taken from presumably different groups. The mass-stranding event occurred in 2002 on the French coast of the English Channel, whereas the single strandings were collected between 1993 and 2003 along the western coast of France (Bay of Biscay and English Channel). Analysis of mitochondrial DNA control region sequences indicated that genetic variability within the mass-stranded pod was similar to variability observed in single strandings. The mass-stranded group was composed of 41 different mitochondrial haplotypes or matrilines while the single strandings revealed 29 different haplotypes. Analysis of 11 microsatellite loci revealed that average relatedness of the mass-stranded pod was not different from average relatedness among all single strandings suggesting that individuals within the group had no closer kin relationships than animals taken from presumably different groups. These results do not support a matriarchal system and suggest that common dolphins constituting a pod are not necessarily genetically related.     

Aging and demographic plasticity in response to experimental age structures in honeybees (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis mellifera</Emphasis> L)

Honeybee colonies are highly integrated functional units characterized by a pronounced division of labor. Division of labor among workers is mainly age-based, with younger individuals focusing on in-hive tasks and older workers performing the more hazardous foraging activities. Thus, experimental disruption of the age composition of the worker hive population is expected to have profound consequences for colony function. Adaptive demography theory predicts that the natural hive age composition represents a colony-level adaptation and thus results in optimal hive performance. Alternatively, the hive age composition may be an epiphenomenon, resulting from individual life history optimization. We addressed these predictions by comparing individual worker longevity and brood production in hives that were composed of a single-age cohort, two distinct age cohorts, and hives that had a continuous, natural age distribution. Four experimental replicates showed that colonies with a natural age composition did not consistently have a higher life expectancy and/or brood production than the single-cohort or double-cohort hives. Instead, a complex interplay of age structure, environmental conditions, colony size, brood production, and individual mortality emerged. A general tradeoff between worker life expectancy and colony productivity was apparent, and the transition from in-hive tasks to foraging was the most significant predictor of worker lifespan irrespective of the colony age structure. We conclude that the natural age structure of honeybee hives is not a colony-level adaptation. Furthermore, our results show that honeybees exhibit pronounced demographic plasticity in addition to behavioral plasticity to react to demographic disturbances of their societies.     

炭基载体含氧基团对Mn-Ce双金属吸附剂脱硫活性的影响

以无烟煤、烟煤、褐煤以及工业半焦、烟煤半焦为载体,采用超声辅助加压浸渍法制备了Mn-Ce双金属吸附剂。利用固定床装置对吸附剂的烟气脱硫活性进行了评价,并运用BET、XRD和FTIR技术对其进行了表征。结果表明：吸附剂的脱硫活性主要由焙烧后的金属氧化物提供,金属离子本身无脱硫活性;炭基载体中的酯基是影响金属组分脱硫活性的主要因素,酯基在焙烧过程中分解使得金属组分暴露出来,提高了吸附剂的脱硫活性;中等变质程度的烟煤是制备吸附剂的良好载体,含有适量酯基,使得吸附剂表面金属组分分散均匀。     

Group effect on individual locomotor activity of common toad (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bufo bufo</Emphasis> L.) and brown frog (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rana temporaria</Emphasis> L.) tadpoles

Different components of group effect on the locomotor activity of single common toad and brown frog tadpoles have been studied by estimating the length of their trajectories, the speed of movement, the number of crossings of experimental field zones, and the number and duration of stops. The results show that toad tadpoles are more active than frog tadpoles. Conspecific metabolites added to the water do not change the pattern of their locomotor activity. Under conditions of visual contact with other tadpoles, locomotor activity of a toad tadpole decreases, whereas that of a frog tadpole increases. Thus, tadpoles of the two amphibian species show species-specific behavioral responses to changes in experimental conditions.     

中国城市污水处理良性运营机制探讨

污水处理不仅能减轻水污染排放，而又是开源节流、实现污水资源化的前提，是解决城市缺水问题的基本途径之一。然而中国城市污水处理面临着设施不足、处理率低和处理资金不足的问题。本文从分析产生上述问题的原因着手，提出城市污水处理业的发展必须走市场化的道路。     

高风险城市环境地铁小净距隧道近接隧道群施工方案优选

为优选高风险城市环境中小净距隧道近接施工方案,依托北京地铁19号线新草区间新建小净距隧道近接隧道群工程,利用有限差分软件FLAC3D,对工程采取管棚管幕预加固措施和改变施工顺序2种施工方案,并对2种方案下的位移控制效果进行研究.研究结果表明:采用管棚管幕预加固措施,并以东侧隧道完工后西侧隧道开挖的顺序施工,可有效控制位...     

Social behaviour in genetically heterogeneous groups of Dictyostelium giganteum

The Dictyostelid or cellular slime moulds (CSMs) are soil amoebae with an asexual life cycle involving social behaviour and division of labour. The most obvious distinction is between ‘germ line’ or pre-spore cells, which survive, and ‘somatic’ or pre-stalk cells, which eventually die. A plausible hypothesis to explain the apparent altruism of pre-stalk cells is that it is directed at clonal relatives. We have tested this hypothesis by comparing indices of altruistic behaviour between clonal and chimeric (genetically heterogeneous) social groups. The groups were generated by mixing amoebae belonging to distinguishable strains of Dictyostelium giganteum. The amoebae of one strain do not aggregate at all when mixed with any of three other strains and aggregate poorly with a fourth. Among the latter, co-aggregation occurs but is followed by varying extents of sorting out. At times, two strains form separate fruiting bodies; in other cases, they remain together but are clustered in clonal groups within a single chimeric structure. Our expectation was that the allocation of cells to the stalk pathway would be higher, and to the spore pathway lower, in clonal social groups than in chimeras. The expectation was not always fulfilled. In addition, three strains could be arrayed in a linear rank order in terms of the relative efficiencies of spore-formation in binary mixtures; but when all three were mixed, they were equally efficient. More than overall genetic similarity, cell fate in a chimera seems to result from complex non-linear interactions based on epigenetic differences.     

Reputation is valuable within and outside one’s own social group

To find conditions under which humans cooperate within groups of unrelated individuals has been of major interest in the behavioral sciences. The experimental paradigm for studying potential cooperation in social dilemmas is the public goods game. Here humans regularly fail to sustain a public resource cooperatively. However, the need to maintain good reputation for other social interactions, such as indirect reciprocity, has been identified as an effective mechanism to sustain cooperation in public goods situations. As a side effect of building a good reputation through cooperative actions, an individual provides direct benefits to members of his/her own social group. These benefits could be an incentive to reward a good reputation of group members. Here we show experimentally that building a good reputation through cooperative behavior in a public goods situation is rewarded in future social interactions, not only within ones own social group but also, at a similar level, in other social groups: humans regard cooperative behavior of others as an honest signal irrespective of past direct personal benefits. Reputation gained within as well as outside ones own social group can be a driving force for selfish individuals to cooperate in public goods situations, and thereby sustain any public resource.Communicated by T. Czeschlik     

基于直觉模糊距离法的堰塞湖减灾方案选优

针对堰塞湖减灾群决策信息的不确定性与模糊性,为解决不完全信息条件下属性指标及专家之间存在的相互关联群决策问题,综合运用直觉模糊集理论、海明距离原理和熵权理论,将直觉模糊距离群决策方法运用到堰塞湖减灾决策过程中。工程实例研究表明,运用直觉模糊距离法决策出的最优方案具有较高的区分度和敏感性,增强了决策的客观性、科学性,能为堰塞湖减灾决策提供更为可靠的依据,具有较强的实用价值。     

Landscape fires as social disasters: An overview of ‘the bushfire problem’

The ‘landscape’, ‘bushfire’ or ‘forest-fire’ problem is exemplified by the destruction of homes and human lives by landscape fires raging out of control. The ‘problem’ involves a series of landscapes (e.g. wildland and suburb), a series of systems (e.g. biophysical system and environmental-effects system), and a series of time phases (e.g. planning phase). It is a multi-stakeholder, multi-variable, multi-scale problem. Land uses, like ‘farmland’, imply a set of specific assets and, therefore, particular perceptions of losses. In all land-use designations, at any one point, fire-proneness may be seen as a function of exposure to ignition sources (embers, burning brands or flame radiation and flame contact) and the ease of ignition. The landscape-fire problem has multiple partial ‘solutions’, not just one overall solution, and these involve social governance, land management (public and private), suppression capacity and personal preparedness. The problem needs to be addressed at multiple temporal and spatial scales in an integrated fashion for the outcome to be of maximal benefit. There will always be a residual risk of severe fire occurrence. Minimisation of residual risk requires effective land management, recurrent funding and the perpetual vigilance of all parties.